The Greater World Earthship Community

http://greaterworld.earthship.netMAJOR OBJECTIVESTo reduce the economic and institutional barriers between people and sustainable housing.To begin reversing the overall negative effect that conventional housing has on the planet.To create a less stressful existence for people in an effort to reduce the stress that they in turn place on the planet and each other.To interface economics and ecology in a way that immediately and tangibly affects current pressing problems with existing life styles.To provide a direction for those who want to live in harmony with their environment.To empower individuals with the inarguable forces of nature.To find and distribute knowledge about sustainable lifestyles.

Introduction and Overview of the Greater World Earthship Subdivision

BackgroundThe Greater World project is designed to create an ideal condition from which a sustainable community can grow and flourish. Approximately 200 people will live in independent homes built using mostly recycled materials. These solar homes will be capable of growing food year round and will require little or no supplementary utilities. This sets the stage for a non-destructive existence that removes stress from the lives of people and the planet. Made to become a legal subdivision in 1998, the Greater World Community is now phasing its development, so that building can continue in certain sections, while fulfilling the county’s requirements in others.

Sustainable LivingGreater World is committed to exploring and demonstrating ways to design our homes and modify our lifestyles in order to live without polluting and without depleting our resources; to use no more of our natural resources than is sustainable. Our proposed lifestyle will be based on how much is available, not how much we customarily consume. This project reflects the experience gained from over 30 years of designing, testing and improving independent homes. These homes are built using recycled materials from Taos County; they make their own electricity from solar panels; catch their own water from rain and snow melt; contain and reuse their own waste water; and provide their own heating and cooling without the use of fossil fuels via passive solar and thermal mass architecture. We continue to evolve basic mechanical components and to simplify structural details toward this goal.

Custom High End and Affordable HousingGreater World is designed to support diversity by making memberships and sustainable housing available to all income levels. GW is committed to exploring different ways to offer affordable housing and affordable land: owning recreational land in common, availability of different sized lots and various densities of lots, owner participation, reducing and ultimately eliminating utility costs, growing food, recycling, eliminating unnecessary infrastructure, minimizing surveys, etc. We are seeing people build their own Earthships out of pocket. We want to continue to allow that to happen, but conventional financing is available. We continue to evolve basic mechanical components and to simplify structural details toward this goal.